POLY vs BCR for almost 4 yr old?

[snorkelfool]

Looking to take a trip for two adults plus DS(almost 4) in Sept/Oct. I've read a lot about the various resorts and have seemingly narrowed it down to POLY or BCR. I would love to get some perspective from those in the know as to which would be a better option for us.

It seems that the POLY is considered best overall for transportation options. BCR seems to have the best pool and an easy walk to Epcot for dinners and such. How long is the trip to MK from BCR? DS will love any transportation we take to get to the parks, but long waits for transportation are not ideal.

I'm open to other options as well if I have overlooked something.

Thanks for all help!

 

[DanPadavona]

We have never waited long for the bus. BCR to the MK gates takes about 15 minutes if memory serves me correct. The monorail to the MK should take about 5 minutes including the stop at the Grand Floridian.

Yes, the BCR pool area is top notch. Stormalong Bay is amazing.

Both resorts are personal favorites of ours, and we have gone with our kids and before we had kids. So really it comes down to park choice preference in my book. If you prefer MK, stay at the Poly. If you prefer Epcot, BCR is a better choice but don't forget that the TTC monorial to Epcot is very close to the Poly.

Have you experienced the Disney Boardwalk area? That's a lot of fun. You may find that staying at BCR is the way to go if you enjoy the boardwalk.

 

[Redbudlover]

With a four year old I would want to be closer to MK than to Epcot, so would choose the Poly. the kids love the pool there with the walk in entrance plus the great slide and being able to watch the fireworks from the beach is priceless. And like the other poster said, you can get the monorail to Epcot as well.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both and while the BC is a great resort, the Poly is our favorite between the two. SAB is nice, but we like the volcano pool more and and love having a view of the castle off in the distance . We had a great stay at the BC, but the bus transportation left alot to be desired. The buses shared with the YC, BWI, Swan, & Dolphin and the BC always seemed to be the last picked up and the last dropped off. With that said, both the Poly and BC are great resorts, but our choice would be the Poly for the close proximity to MK and the pool/beach .

 

[maxiesmom]

We have stayed at both resorts, and I think the Poly is the better choice with a 4yr old. Not only will you have access to the monorail (which is fabulous) but you will be able to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Poly beach!

Plus, while the pool at the Beach Club IS awesome, it is huge. And not very small kid friendly, imho. In order to get on the slide you have to walk away from the pool area and cross a sidewalk. And it is impossible to see all of the pool area from any one chair, so you would need to either be swimming with your child, or know that they will stay in one area without a fuss.

I'd save the Beach Club for when your child is a little older and stay at the Poly now.

 

[Sue M]

I agree with Poly being the best choice for ease of transportation, and watching wishes from the beach is great. Also the Electric Water parade. Presumably you'll be spending more time at MK then Epcot. But to get to Epcot is very easy, Poly has a short walking path to TTC to hop on Epcot monorail.

 

[mericletwins]

We prefer the BC over the Poly, but both are wonderful resorts. We like the BC because of it's proximity to Epcot and DHS. If you are planning to visit multiple parks on your trip then I think BC is the winner. If you are planning on spending the majority of your time at the MK, then Poly would be the better choice. I will throw in that even though some people say that they will spend most of their time in the MK with a 4 year old, we did not. Our kids enjoyed each park just about equally with a slight edge going to Epcot.

I also think that the pool area is much nicer at the BC. The sand bottomed kids area is separated from the main pool by a walkway. You can get a kids meal at the CS at the pool and it comes in a bucket with a shovel. The Poly pool is nice, but it seems pretty small for the size of the resort. We were there at a non busy time of year and it was crowded, so I can't imagine at a busier time. We also like that the BC area has quite a bit to do outside of the parks. You can watch fireworks from Illuminations at Epcot from the bridge between the BC and the BW without going into a park, movies on the beach, lots of entertainment on the BW, renting surrey bikes, etc.

I think no matter what you pick, you will have a great experience. Have fun planning.

 

[padawans]

You couldn't have paid me to stay at BC when my kids were that young. If your blessed to have kids that don't disappear everytime you blink then it's fine. I was not that fortunate. I think Poly is a much better pool for young children. It's much easier to keep an eye on them.

 

[Belle83]

I agree, the Poly would be a better choice with a 4-year-old. You'll have easier transportation to Magic Kingdom. I've heard it's hard to watch kids at the pool at Beach Club with the way it's set up.

 

[tinacaplan]

I've stayed at both with my four year old son within the past year and I would choose the Beach Club (and will for all of my future trips) over the Poly any day of the week. But, and this is somewhat important; how important is the pool? Storm Along Bay is one example of something that actually deserves all the positive press it gets. My son loved the kiddie slide on the back side of the pirate ship! He also loved the sand bottom areas. I had no problem keeping an eye on him, but I always swam with him. We are big pool people and the pool at the Poly was a huge dissapointment.

Yes, seeing Wishes from the beach is lovely, but we were over it after a night, and all we had to do to see it was walk out onto our patio.

We usually hit MK for rope drop in the morning (nothing better than empty Fantasyland! ), then want to head to EPCOT in the late afternoon/evening.

One other point to consider; my son LOVES Spaceship Earth and would ride it incessantly. He also loves some of the simple things in World Showcase, like the model train in Germany.

Finally, Beach Club seems to be in much better shape than the Poly. Furniture was pretty beat up and mainetence had actually "fixed" one of the beds with a piece of plywood. We also found dirty towels and someone's bikini in the room. I know that mousekeeping mistakes can happen anywhere, but this all seemed a bit much, especially give what we were paying.

Just my opinion...and overall...it depends on how much you value a pool. By the way, we never had issues with the bus from the BC to MK.

Either way, I'm sure you'll have a magical vacation.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

ITs all about the park you want to be close too...

I believe Beach Club is the best...bar none.

But much depends on what you value.

IF you are going to be heavy on magic kingdom...then i recommend wilderness lodge first, poly second.

for us...beach club affords us all the dining that 4 hotels and 2 parks can offer within walking distance...and the pool

you two choices are pretty good ones though...if you go with either you'll be getting the best.

poly is a little overpriced as compared to most...beach is overpriced but not so much. wilderness is still a good value...even if not quite what it once was

 

[akl-fan]

I agree, the Poly would be a better choice with a 4-year-old. You'll have easier transportation to Magic Kingdom. I've heard it's hard to watch kids at the pool at Beach Club with the way it's set up.

Thus

 

[Annal606]

With a four year old I would want to be closer to MK than to Epcot, so would choose the Poly.

 

[snorkelfool]

Thanks for the comments. I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

At this point we are leaning towards BC as the pool and general feel of the resort seems better for us (and we may be able to get a 1 bedroom at BCV for lower cost). I'm concerned about some of the run-down comments I've read regarding the Poly and pictures of the pool do not seem very impressive to us.

 

[pixarmom]

Thanks for the comments. I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

At this point we are leaning towards BC as the pool and general feel of the resort seems better for us (and we may be able to get a 1 bedroom at BCV for lower cost). I'm concerned about some of the run-down comments I've read regarding the Poly and pictures of the pool do not seem very impressive to us.

Hi snorkelfool! We've stayed at both BC and Poly many times and love both resorts. Our three boys are currently ages 5, 11 and 12, and we have lots of experience at SAB with little ones. BC is our favorite, but I've recommended Poly to friends with very young kids based on individual circumstances. For example, we stayed at Poly for our youngest son's birthday weekend when we spent more time at MK than usual and our trip was very character meal heavy. (Our most recent Poly stay was last year, and I thought the rooms were spacious and in very good condition.) For longer family trips, we're more likely to select BC because the location is ideal for us and because we usually have dinner ADRs in Epcot or the Epcot area. Next year, we plan to do a split stay that includes both Poly and BC. So I think it depends quite a bit on a variety of factors, including your touring plans (including how much pool time you expect to have), your dining plans and your theme preferences.

As for SAB, our youngest enjoys the sandy zero depth entry area - it's entirely separate from the deeper areas of the pool, 2 feet deep all the way across and no more than 3 feet deep in one corner. The other area with the kiddie slide has also been perfect for us with a 4-year-old. I compiled some SAB photos that may help: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2790323

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Hadjii]

After years of debating whether or not to spend the extra money and stay at the Poly, we finally did it. Couldn't have been happier. The BCR is nice but the Poly almost feels like you're in the Magic Kingdom. You have great views of the castle at night and the Water Pageant goes right by the beach. You have the monorail, boats and don't forget, a very short walk to the MK. Especially if you're staying in Sept/Oct. You can ride over to Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival and walk over to MK for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (check dates). It's really a magical resort and I don't know if I'll stay any where else from now on. BTW I'm going solo in September/Oct and YEP, I'll be staying at the Poly. Enjoy your trip.